Both these sūrahs form a pair
with regard to the subject discussed in them. The first sūrah
substantiates the Day of Judgement by the testimony of the
reproaching soul, while the second sūrah substantiates this
claim by the divine inspiration of good and evil in a person’s
soul. However, by contrast, an element of glad tidings of the
future is very prominent in the second sūrah.

The sūrahs basically address the
leadership of the Quraysh and it is evident from their
contents that like the previous sūrahs they were revealed in
Makkah in the phase of indhār-i ‘ām of the Prophet’s mission (sws).

The central theme of both the
sūrahs is to substantiate the Day of Judgement and to warn the
Quraysh with its reference.

[They deny the Day of Judgement?] By no means!1
I present as evidence the Day of Judgement.2
And by no means!3
I present as evidence this reproaching soul [within you].4
Does man5
think that We will not be able to bring together his bones?
Why not? We will put him together such that We will set right
even the sections of his fingers.6
[No this is not so7];
in fact, [the truth is that] man wants to be mischievous
before his [conscience].8
He asks: “When will the Day of Judgement come?” (1-6)

But on the day when the sight is dazed and the moon
eclipsed and the sun and the moon brought together, this very
man will say: “Whither to flee?” – By no means! there is no
refuge now! Towards your Lord that Day is the resting place.
On that Day will man be informed what he sent forth and what
he left behind.

[No he cannot deny it;] in fact, [the truth is that] he
himself is a witness upon his own self however much he may put
up excuses.9
(7-15)

[In the hurry of10
conclusively communicating the truth to them, O Prophet!] to
swiftly acquire this [Qur’ān] do not move your tongue over it;
[it will continue to be revealed like this;11
rest assured that] upon Us is its collection and recital.12
So when [at that time] We recite it follow that recital.13
Then upon Us is to explain it [to you wherever need be].14
(16-19)

[O People!15
You cannot deny it;] certainly not! In fact [the truth is
that] you only love this world and remain heedless of the
world to come. [But it will turn up and turn up in a manner
that] many faces will be joyous on that Day awaiting16
the [graciousness of] their Lord and many faces will be gloomy
on that Day thinking that there is going to strike them that
which breaks their backs.17
(20-25)

[No you cannot deny it]; certainly not! On the Day when the
soul reaches the collar-bone18
and it is said: “Who is the enchanter now?”19
The person will think that it is parting time

and the shank will embrace the shank.20
On that Day, towards your Lord is the departure. (26-30)

But [look at this man]! He neither believed in [the good
fate of the Hereafter] nor offered the prayer; on the
contrary, he denied and turned away.21
Then he went to his family conceitedly. Woe be to you, then
woe be to you! And again woe be to you, then woe be to you!
22 (31-35)

Does23
man think that he will be left to go unrestrained? Was he not
a drop of a fluid poured forth?24
Then he became a clot [from this fluid]. Then God created
[him]; then fashioned him in due proportion; then made pairs
of him: male and female. Is He [now] not able to raise the
dead to life? (36-40)

Has there also passed over man a period of time when he was
a thing not worthy of mention?25
Indeed, We have created man from a drop of mingled water.26
We continued to turn him about27
until We made him capable of hearing and seeing.28
We showed him the good and evil path.29
It is now up to him to be grateful or profess disbelief.30
(1-3)

[The consequence of this is that] We have prepared for the
disbelievers chains and yokes and a Blazing Fire.31
[On the other hand, Our] loyal people will drink cups of wine32
flavoured with camphor. This is a spring33
[sitting by]34
which these servants of God will drink and will be able to
take out its channels wherever they want with great ease.35
They used to keep their vows36
and remained fearful of the Day whose horror will spread far
and wide; they used to give food to the poor, the orphan and
the captive37
in spite of being needy of it; [their driving force being:] we
are feeding you for the sake of God only. No reward do we
desire from you nor gratitude. We dread from our Lord a Day,
grim and distressful. So God saved them from the affliction of
that Day and bestowed them with freshness and joy, and as
reward

for being patient38
[in this world] gave them Paradise [to live in] and robes of
silk [to wear]. They will be reclining in it on thrones and
will feel neither the heat of the sun nor the cold of the
winters. The shades of its trees will bow down over them and
the clusters of their fruits will be within their easy reach.
Dishes of silver [to eat from] and goblets of crystal [to
drink from] will be passed around them. But the crystal will
be of silver39
which their attendants will have aptly arranged [for every
service].40
(4-16)

[Besides this], they will be given to drink a wine
flavoured with Zanjabīl. This is also a spring therein called
Salsabīl.41
They will be actively attended by boys graced with eternal
youth.42
When you see them you will think that they are pearls
scattered about.43
And wherever you look you will see great bliss and a kingdom
glorious such that even their over-garments will be of green
silk and brocade and satin.44
They were adorned with bracelets of silver45
and their Lord gave them pure wine46
to drink [in His presence]. Indeed, this is a reward of your
deeds and [congratulations to you that] your endeavours have
been acknowledged. (17-22)

[Just do not care about what they say O Prophet!]47
We alone have revealed this Qur’ān to you and revealed it in a
profound manner.48
So with perseverance49
wait for the judgement of
your Lord and pay no heed to any sinner or ingrate among them.50
[We shall take care of them] and remember the name of your
Lord from dawn to dusk and prostrate yourselves before Him in
the night also and glorify Him till late at night.51
(23-26)

[They are not submitting O Prophet! because] they only love
this worldly life and are ignoring a heavy Day ahead. [Truly],
We alone created them and strengthened their joints [and
undoubtedly] whenever We intend We can replace them in exactly
the same form they are in.52
[Leave them alone if they do not submit]. These [verses] are
only a reminder. So whoever intends, he should take the path
of his God. And you do not intend [O People!] until Allah so
intends [according to His law.]53
Indeed, God is All-Knowing, Wise. He admits into His mercy
whomever He wishes [on the basis of this knowledge and
wisdom]. And for the wrongdoers, He has prepared a grievous
punishment. (27-31)

Karachi

18th February 2010

1. When we intend to negate something in
our language we say: “No, by God! This is what the truth
is.” The style adopted in the verse is precisely the same.
Thus the words “By no means” are not meant to negate the
testimony; on the contrary, it is a negation of a notion
of the addressee that is intended to be refuted through
this testimony.

2. This signifies an oath whose complement
is suppressed here. The reason is that the oath itself is
so blatantly pointing towards it that it is not necessary
to express it in words. This style of presenting oaths is
adopted when it is intended to be conveyed to the
addressees that what they are denying is such clear
evidence on itself that no sane person can deny it. In
other words, what has been sworn by itself has assumed the
status of a claim and its substantiation and the oath and
its complement.

4. This is the second oath. Its complement
is also suppressed. The implication is that man’s
conscience that rebukes him on his sins bears witness by
its very existence that the Day of Judgement is certain to
come. The reason is that within man his reproaching soul
is always present to rebuke him on any evil he does; this
internal court of justice delivers its verdict at every
instance; this only means that man will not be left
unaccountable for his deeds. Thus he shall definitely be
called to account. It is for this accountability that the
Almighty has appointed the Day of Judgement. His
messengers have always informed man of this Day. Imām Amīn
Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… If a person will not be held accountable for his
deeds, then where has this chiding conscience come into
him from? If his Creator is unconcerned about the good and
evil which emanate from him, then why and from where has
He given him the feeling of being elated at a good deed
and being pricked by his conscience at a bad one? Then
from here another question arises: If God has set up a
miniature court of justice in every person, then why will
He not set up a greater court of justice which will hold
the whole world accountable for good and evil which
emanate from it and not reward and punish people
accordingly? Any person who deliberates on these questions
while disregarding his desires will reach the conclusion
that the very being of a person bears witness that he has
innate knowledge of good and evil; he will not be left
unaccountable; there definitely shall come one day when he
will be punished for any misdeeds he may have done and be
rewarded for his good deeds. To remind a person of this
Day, the Almighty has placed a miniature court of justice
within a person’s soul so that man does not remain
indifferent to it, and if ever he becomes indifferent he
can catch a glimpse of it by merely reflecting on his
inner-self. It is this reality which sages have taught us
by saying that man is a miniature world and within this
miniature world there is a reflection of the greater
world. If a person has a true comprehension of his own
self, he is able to comprehend both God and the Hereafter.
(Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, vol. 9, 80)

5. The address is directed at the Quraysh;
however, to show disgust at their attitude a general word
“man” is used.

6. The actual words are:
بَلَى قَادِرِينَ. The word
قَادِرِينَ is an accusative of
state from the plural pronoun in
نَجْمَعَ.

7. Ie., this is not so that gathering of
bones seems improbable to them; this is a lame excuse
being offered to escape the reality.

8. Ie., in spite of rebuking calls from
his conscience, he wants to be mischievous. It is evident
from this that a person who denies the Day of Judgement in
fact denies himself because the greatest testimony of the
Day of Judgement is found in his own soul.

9. The actual words are:
وَلَوْ أَلْقَى مَعَاذِيرَهُ. The
word مَعَاذِيْرٌ is a plural of
مَعَذِرةٌ. It is actually
مَعَاذِرٌ. A
ي has been added in it just as it has been added in
مَنَاكِيْر.

10. Verses sixteen to nineteen form a
parenthetical sentence that has come between the
discourse. It is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad (sws).
It directs him to wait and to be patient in his passion,
anxiety and hastiness to acquire the whole Qur’ān. It was
his responsibility as a messenger of God to conclusively
communicate the truth to his people. It was but natural
for him to wish that such a responsibility is fulfilled as
soon as possible. At the same time, the Quraysh too would
persistently ask that if the Qur’ān was being revealed by
God, why is it not revealed in one go. It should not be a
matter of wonder if a person desires that a book as
sublime and unique as the Qur’ān is being revealed by the
king and master of universe should be given to him very
soon. It was the Qur’ān which strengthened the Prophet’s
heart, enlivened his soul, guided his intellect and
bolstered his intentions. This aspect too was a cause of
his fondness to receive the Qur’ān as soon as possible. In
these verses, the Prophet (sws) has been asked to show
restraint on this impatience and hastiness that must have
manifested themselves at instances in which a lot of time
period elapsed between two revelations. Imām Amīn Ahsan
Islāhī writes:

… Although the subject of keenness and hastiness is
very commonly found in the literature of most languages,
it is almost impossible to express in words the hastiness
and impatience with which the Prophet (sws) would be
overcome when he would receive a revelation after a long
gap and in the face of his opponents idle talk. When a
child is hungry and his mother presses him to her bosom,
he wants to drink all the milk in a single breath; when a
traveller exhausted from traversing a desert sees a bucket
full of water after a long wait, he wants to gulp all of
it in one sip; similarly, if a person, suffering from the
pangs of being away from his beloved, receives a letter
from her, he would want to read each and every word of it
in a single glance. Although these examples are deficient,
yet as indicated earlier, they can give us some idea of
the hastiness and anxiety so spontaneously expressed by
the Prophet (sws) whenever he would be blessed with divine
revelation. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, vol. 9,
85)

11. Ie., it will be revealed in this
gradual manner in instalments the way it is now being
revealed. This is entailed by the wisdom needed for
preaching. The Qur’ān has not expressed these words
because they are self-evident. The succeeding verses,
however, assure the Prophet (sws) that he need not worry
about any matter related to the Qur’ān. Its protection,
collection and arrangement, recital and explanation of its
verses that need explanation – all rest with the Almighty;
he should not worry about them. All these tasks will be
accomplished by Him at their proper time. The style
adopted here by the Qur’ān – in which certain related
features of what is mentioned are stated once this mention
was made – at other places – can be seen at other
instances as well.

12. Ie., recital to Muhammad (sws) after
its collection and arrangement. In Sūrah A‘lā, this
purport is stated thus: سَنُقْرِئُكَ
فَلَا تَنسَى (87: 6). Technically this is known as
the recital of the al-ardah al-akhīrah. It is evident from
various narratives that in the last Ramadān of the
Prophet’s life, Gabriel reviewed the Qur’ān twice with
him. (see, for example: Bukhārī, no. 4998). The review was
according to this very recital. Our early scholars
generally call it the al-qira’āt al-‘āmmah, (see, for
example: al-Zarkashī, Al-Burhān, vol. 1, 237). It is
evident from these verses that the Qur’ān was arranged in
a particular sequence and recited out to the Prophet (sws)
in his own lifetime.

13. Ie., the Prophet (sws) should follow
the recital of the Almighty done after the Qur’ān is
arranged in the form of a Book. If a verse was read
previously in a different manner, it will have no status.
The Qur’ān is in our hands in this very sequence and
recital. Except for a few areas, a vast majority of the
ummah is reading the Qur’ān according to it. Beside it
neither is any other recital the Qur’ān nor can it be
called the Qur’ān. The Almighty has directed us to follow
this very recital after the al-ardah al-akhīrah.

14. This is a reference to verses that
were revealed for the explanation of a directive. They are
found in the Qur’ān generally by the words
كَذَالِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللهُ or
those of similar meaning. These verses are actually a
fulfillment of the promise stated in the verse under
discussion.

15. After urging the Prophet (sws) to be
patient, the verses revert to its actual addressees.

16. The actual words are:
إِلَى رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ. Just
as when the word نَاظِرَةٌ is
used with the preposition إِلَى
it means “to look at someone,” it also means “to wait and
hope for the blessings and attention of someone.” In other
words, those who would go to Hell would apprehend that a
back-breaking calamity is going to strike them. In
contrast, the believers will await the mercy of their Lord
and will be hopeful to receive His graciousness; they will
have no such apprehension.

17. In my opinion, the grammatical
analysis of the sentence أَنْ يُفْعَلَ
بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌ is the same as the same as the one
presented by Zamakhsharī thus: يفعل بها
فعل هو في شدته و فظاعته فاقرة (they will be meted
out such punishment of which the intensity will break
their backs). (See: Zamakhsharī, al-Kashsha#ff, vol. 5,
664)

18. The actual words are:
بَلَغَتْ التَّرَاقِي. The
pronoun found in this expression is for the soul which as
per common linguistic principles of Arabic is suppressed
here.

19. This is an expression of “no hope.”
The actual words are: وَقِيلَ مَنْ
رَاقٍ. When the word مَنْ
comes before an undefined noun, it implies great despair.
The implication is that it is now the end of story; who
can now cure the dying person? The passive tense
قِيلَ has great eloquence in it:
such will be the severity of the situation that no one
will be able to pay attention to the person who will speak
these words.

20. Such will be the state of weakness and
helplessness that the shank will embrace the shank.

21. The actual words are:
فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّى وَلَكِنْ
كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّى. A suppression of the word
بِالْحُسْنى has occurred here
after the wordsصَدَّقَ and
كَذَّبَ. Similarly, the word
تَوَلَّى occurs in contrast to
صَلَّى just as
كَذَّبَ occurs in contrast to
صَدَّقَ.

22. The actual words are:
أَوْلَى لَكَ فَأَوْلَى. The word
أَوْلَى is from
ويل which is used in classical
Arabic for expressing anger, reproach, and hatred.

23. Here at the end, the sūrah is
reverting back to the subject with which it began.

24. The actual word is:
يُمْنَى. Its passive tense signifies the very
limited role a man plays in the creation of new life.
After pouring forth his fluid he does not have any further
role in this creation process, and does not know what
providence does in shaping a new life.

25. This interrogative style is adopted
when the purpose is to make a person accept something
which though is self-evident and is also acknowledged by
him yet he is adamant on deviating from it. It expresses
anger, reproach and grief over the ungrateful attitude he
has adopted; it records a sort of protest and complaint on
this attitude and last but not the least sounds a very
effective appeal in his ears to ponder on what he is
doing. All these nuances cannot be conveyed in a simple
statement. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… The purpose of this question is to induce man to
reflect as to why such elaborate arrangements were made by
providence for him. Why was he blessed with such great
abilities? Was all this done merely so that he eat, drink
and then die? Are not some responsibilities imposed on him
as a result of being blessed with such favours? Does man
not owe some obligations to the Being Who created Him?
These questions should arise in every person who reflects
on his existence.

Man’s own being is the closest to him and every part of
him induces him to reflect and ponder. The interrogative
nature of the verse is meant to stimulate him towards
reflection: If God is beyond man’s eyes, his own being is
at hand; by deliberating on it he can witness God’s power
and providence, mercy and justice. Similarly, if he
reflects he will come to realize that although he has not
seen the Day of Judgement, yet his own intuition contains
signs and testimonies of such a day. In fact, so blatant
are these testimonies that he cannot deny them unless of
course he is absolutely stubborn. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī,
Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, vol. 9, 106)

26. The actual word used is:
أَمْشَاجٍ. It is the plural ofمَشْجٌ
and مَشِيْج. The wordأَمْشَاجٍ
is among those words which in spite of being
plural are used as an adjective for singular entities. The
fact that a fertilized sperm is a blend may refer to the
fact that it consists of various components and may also
refer to the fact it is a blend of the sperm and ovular
cells of a man and woman respectively.

27. The actual word is
نَّبْتَلِيهِ. It is an accusative of state. The
word إِبْتَلاَ according to
dictionary means “to evaluate and to judge.” Since to
achieve this a thing is turned and rotated about from side
to side hence the meaning of making it pass from one phase
to another was incorporated into it. These phases of human
creation and development are mentioned in detail in the
Qur’ān verse 5 of Sūrah Hajj and verses 12-13 of Sūrah
Mu’minūn. The implication is that many phases passed
before the drop of water transformed into a human being;
in each phase, the Almighty evaluated it so that the
capability that should appear in a particular phase is
tested and then it enters the next phase.

28. This is a comprehensive expression of
the higher faculties of man like the faculties of sense
and reason. It is this which makes him distinct among
God’s creations and has been given the freedom on
exercising his will on this very basis.

29. This is the consequence of making man
someone who sees and hears. In the words of Imām Amīn
Ahsan Islāhī he has become a witness to good and evil
before his own self and is left with no excuse to adopt
the path of evil. (See: Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i
Qur’ān, vol. 9, 109)

30. This is a mention of man’s freedom to
exercise his will and intention.

31. The freedom to exercise his will
endowed to man as well as the cognizance of the good and
evil he possesses entail that a Day come when he be
punished for his disbelief and rebelliousness.

32. The actual word is:
كَأْس. It is used for both a cup and for its
contents.

33. Here the Qur’ān itself has specified
that camphor is the name of a spring in Paradise and is
not the camphor which exists in this world. Why the spring
has been named so is from among the matters of the
mutashābihāt whose true form we cannot comprehend in this
world.

34. The actual words are:
يَشْرَبُ بِهَا عِبَادُ اللَّهِ.
The particle ب connotes an
adverb of place. Drinking wine on the banks of a spring is
considered to be a cherished arrangement. It is thus said
that this spring will be reserved specially for the
servants of God and they will drink wine while sitting on
its banks.

35. In other words, the dwellers of
Paradise will not need to make an effort to go to this
spring; any person will be able to take out its channels
at whichever place he wants to and in the words of Imām
Amīn Ahsan Islāhī he will be able to relish its delicious
contents and the fulfillment it brings without the
slightest of bothers. (see: (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i
Qur’ān, vol. 9, 111)

Here a special quality of the
grateful is alluded to. They used to fulfill their vows,
which were over and above the obligations of their
religion.

36. The implication is that apart from the
mandatory directives of the sharī‘ah, even acts of virtue
which they make obligatory on themselves out of their own
free will are carried out by them in a very thorough
manner.

37. A mention of the captives together
with the orphans and the poor is peculiar to the early
times when there was no formal system of imprisonment. The
captives, during these times used to fulfill their needs
by asking people.

38. Ie., in reward of the patience,
control and courage with which they did various virtuous
acts.

39. Ie., they will be of crystal that
looks like a crystal to the eye and yet in reality their
substance will be made of silver.

40. So that they can swiftly put them to
use according to the time, circumstances and requirements.

41. The word زَنجَبِيل
means “camphor”. The wordسَلْسَبِيل
means “free-flowing.” In what capacity do these
names signify their respective objects will only be known
on the Day of Judgement. The way sūrahs of the Qur’ān have
been named shows that names are kept if even they have a
very slight correspondence to the object they signify.

42. Ie., because of their youth, they will
be alert, vivacious and enthusiastic and because of
remaining in service to the dwellers of Paradise would be
completely aware of their taste, temperament and habits.

43. This is a portrayal of the
handsomeness, elegance and majesty of these boys as well
as of being well-dressed.

44. The actual words are:
عَالِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ
وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ. The word عَالِيَ
is an accusative of state. Sundus and istabraq are the
names of Iranian cloths. In order to portray the favours
of Paradise before the people of Arabia the names of
things used in the Iranian and Egyptian culture have been
borrowed here. This is because in those times Arabs were
mostly aware of these cultures. This is also among the
category of the mutashābihāt whose actual reality is known
only to God. The implication is that if the over garments
are so exquisite as to be made of sundus and istabraq, one
should imagine how splendid their other apparel would be.

45. Elsewhere in the Qur’ān, gold
bracelets are similarly mentioned. This means that at some
instances they will be given gold bracelets to wear and at
some silver bracelets.

46. This probably is a reference to the
pure sealed wine that smells like musk which shall be
given only to the muqarrabīn (the near ones). It is
emphatically mentioned in verses 35-38 of Sūrah Mutaffifīn.
The implication is that after drinking from the springs of
Zanjabīl and Salsabīl, they will gradually reach the place
where the Almighty Himself will present them with pure
wine.

47. These verses urge Muhammad (sws) to
show patience and steadfastness at the hostile response of
his addressees.

48. The actual words are:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ
الْقُرْآنَ تَنزِيلًا. They have a lot of emphasis,
grandeur and majesty in them. The implication is that when
God has revealed them, Muhammad (sws) should rest assured;
God will deal with his enemies; this is not the Prophet’s
responsibility.

49. The actual words are:
فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ. The
presence of ل in them shows that
waiting is encompassed in the directive of exercising
patience.

50. The actual word is:
إطاعة. It is also used to connote paying heed and
paying attention. Here it is used in this very meaning.
The actual words used for a sinner and an ingrate are آثِمًا
and كَفُورًا. The first
word refers to someone who does not fulfill the rights of
his fellow human beings and the second one to someone who
does not fulfill the rights of God. Though both these
traits necessarily entail one another yet at times one is
more dominant than the other in someone as per the
inclinations found in various personalities.

51. This is a reference to the tahajjud
prayer referred to earlier in Sūrah Muzzammil.

52. Ie., He will set their joints
functional the way they now are functional in every
manner.

53. The Almighty according to His law
guides only those who prove themselves to be worthy of His
guidance, and misleads only those who make themselves
worthy of it because of their misdeeds.